Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday hit out at the Delhi police alleging that it was being used as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP’s “private army” under a political dispensation that is at “war” with students across the country after a video showing policemen thrashing student protesters surfaced. He condemned the police’s purported assault on the protesters, including women, demonstrating over the suicide of dalit scholar Rohith Vemula near the RSS Delhi HQ on Saturday.

In a tweet on Monday, Mr Kejriwal said the Delhi police is “being used by the BJP/RSS as their (private) army to terrorise and teach (a) lesson to anyone opposing the BJP/RSS. I strongly condemn (the) attack on students” on January 30.

The Congress too joined in condemning the police action against students two days ago, accusing the BJP-led government at the Centre of crushing dissent. “The Congress would like to put on record that this government has become completely apathetic to the voice of students, in addition to being anti-dalit and anti-poor. They have time and again indulged in crushing dissent. This insane crushing of dissent by using state machinery will not go down well with the youth of this country,” Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said.

The video showed policemen in uniform and in civvies lathicharging students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University protesting against the suicide of dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula. Some officials were caught on camera using fisticuffs on student activists, including women, and pushing them to the ground. The Delhi police has not denied the authenticity of the video.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission of Women on Monday issued a notice to the Delhi police seeking to know why no women personnel were at hand during the protest near the RSS office.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the video of the protest on Saturday, the DCW issued the notice to the joint commissioner of police (Central Range), Sunil Kumar Gautam.

The DCW has also sought to know the names and designations of the officers who approved the police action against the protesters and reasons for non-availability of women police personnel along with a copy of all guidelines/standing orders of the Delhi police for dealing with female protesters.